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IFT lends expertise to craft brewer in Dundee

71 Brewing, launched last year by Duncan Alexander and Mark Griffiths, is the first new brewery to open in Dundee for 50 years, following a £650,000 investment to convert a 7,200 sq ft industrial warehouse in the city centre.

As a tribute to the site on which a new craft brewery will emerge, 71 Brewing was named by its founders after one of the last bastions of heavy industry in Dundee: the former Blackness Foundry at 71 Blackness Road. Planning permission was granted back in February 2016 to convert the 100 year old building into a state-of-the-art 2,400L per brew-capacity brewery, complete with on-site bar and off licence.

Head brewer Duncan Alexander said: “There’s something in the water here that was justification enough for us to establish a brewery in Dundee, beyond the fact that I’m a very proud Dundonian and wanted the city to contribute to this great new beer revolution that is sweeping the country. Dundee is undergoing a period of significant regeneration and investment. We want to place ourselves firmly in the centre of this and add to the flourishing reputation of Dundee as a fantastic place for the arts and culture, business and innovation. We want 71 Brewing to become synonymous with this new and growing confidence and weave ourselves into the fabric of the city.”

A huge amount of renovation of the building was required to bring it up to the standard required for siting the brewing equipment with the most significant investment being made in the new concrete floor, including 38 metres of state of the art stainless steel drainage channels. Protecting the integrity of this large investment was a high priority and 71 Brewing turned to Integrated Flooring Technologies to advise on how best to do this.”